Chris Burns - Pioneers of His Presence

Chapter 1

THE PIONEER

I nside every pioneer is the faint but unending song of hunger for the undiscovered. This tune plays on repeatedly in the soul of every trailblazer. They thrive in the journey because to them it is better to explore uncertainty than to rest comfortably in predictability. They are convicted with a command to discover and convinced that things can be better than theyve ever known before. To the way-maker and pathfinder, heartache and disappointment are only stepping-stones to the promise. On the inside of a true pioneer beats a heart that doesnt understand the language of doubt; these hearts beat strong with the blood of hope.

There have always been pioneers who pushed the limits of what was possible. Pioneers who go into unexplored territory in search of a new land, looking to establish permanent settlement. Pioneers take the few resources they own, unfinished maps, and hearts full of faith to go into uncharted lands to find places where they can implant their own cultures and ways of life.

We read of their stories and are spurned on to do the same. It excites us to learn of the great adventurers of old who captivate our hearts with stories of discovering new things and new lands. And those starry-eyed wanderers who gave their all to seek out things not yet discovered.

From Marco Polo to Christopher Columbus, from the American frontiersmen to Neil Armstrong, there have always been pioneers who possess the inexplicable hunger to discover the undiscovered. Even the pioneers of medicine, invention, and the arts pushed up against common beliefs to attempt things only dreamed of. Where would we be without these wild-eyed dreamers? Without their discoveries, we would be in a completely different world than we now know.

But there is another type of forerunner who goes farther and deeper still. The heavenly pioneer.

These men and women are looking to change the world we live in, not by discovering new lands, new cures, or new good ideas, but by discovering more of the Creator Himself and bringing Him to earth. These pioneers have looked into eternity and heard the voice of the uncreated one. They seek to make this world look like His world, and they are possessed with the very presence of God.

These are the gateways between His world and ours. They are Gods own, who deny religions comfort and walk daringly into the fullness and mystery of God. The Bible is full of them. Hebrews 11 talks about some of these heroes of the faith. Church history resonates with the call to pioneer through the fathers and mothers who have gone before us.

who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection.